Child care · County · Maine
Child care centers and preschools in Franklin County, ME
How Franklin County, ME compares with other counties and the U.S. for child care centers and preschools: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,339 of 1,611 scored counties
#16 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 11
- 2 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- −27.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $5.3M
- On child care and other personal services · $422 a household
- Spending per listing
- $486K
- 51% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 50% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,824
- +4.6% since 2020
See the child care centers and preschools around any address in Franklin County
The site report maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Franklin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Franklin County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for child care centers and preschools, ranking #1,339 of 1,611 scored counties and #16 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on child care and other personal services in Franklin County comes to about $5.3M a year: $422 per household, 27% below the U.S. average. That is about $486K of household spending for each center on map listings, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M.
There are 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings in Franklin County as of September 2026. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 12% across the U.S. That is 8.7 per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 5.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Franklin County classed as child care services, down 27.3% from 2019. That is one for every 792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. Population estimates show Franklin County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Franklin County compares
The same measures for Maine and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all child care and other personal services by the child care centers and preschools counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Franklin County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 7.5 | 5.8 |
| Spending per listing | $486K | $718K | $1M |
| Households per official establishment | 792 | 886 | 1,573 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −27.3% | +1.8% | +5.7% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on child care and other personal services | $422 | $538 | $581 |
| Median household income | $58,675 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 16−27.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 108
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 37Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 112 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as child care services in Franklin County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Franklin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,824+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 12,675
- Median age
- 44.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,697 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $58,675+14.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,999
- Median home value
- $194,700
- Jobs located here
- 10,591
- Daytime population
- 27,726Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Franklin County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the child care centers and preschools on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Franklin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardChild care and preschools across Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for child care centers and preschools, numbered among those based in Maine, with Franklin County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, ME | 59 | 12 | 4.7 | $1.1M | +3.0% | #569 of 1,611 |
| 2Lincoln County, ME | 57 | 9 | 5.4 | $967K | +3.8% | #630 of 1,611 |
| 3Sagadahoc County, ME | 53 | 10 | 6.1 | $952K | +3.4% | #742 of 1,611 |
| 4Aroostook County, ME | 50 | 10 | 3.3 | $1.2M | −0.7% | #810 of 1,611 |
| 5Cumberland County, ME | 49 | 115 | 8.7 | $795K | +4.5% | #852 of 1,611 |
| 6Somerset County, ME | 48 | 12 | 5.2 | $758K | +2.3% | #878 of 1,611 |
| 7Waldo County, ME | 45 | 9 | 5.2 | $915K | +2.6% | #951 of 1,611 |
| 8York County, ME | 43 | 86 | 9.4 | $639K | +4.8% | #1,018 of 1,611 |
| 9Kennebec County, ME | 42 | 33 | 6.1 | $777K | +3.5% | #1,034 of 1,611 |
| 10Knox County, ME | 38 | 15 | 8.1 | $674K | +1.1% | #1,149 of 1,611 |
| 16Franklin County, ME | 30 | 11 | 8.7 | $486K | +4.6% | #1,339 of 1,611 |
Other business types in Franklin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
- Child care and preschools30
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many child care centers and preschools are in Franklin County, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 11 child care centers and preschools in Franklin County. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count day care centers and preschools. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as child care services in 2023, down 27.3% from 2019. Another 37 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Franklin County, ME spend on child care and other personal services?
About $5.3M a year, or $422 per household. That is 27% below the U.S. average (an index of 73, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 child care centers and preschools on map listings, it comes to $486K per center. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,675 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Franklin County, ME compare with the U.S. for child care centers and preschools?
Franklin County has 8.7 child care centers and preschools per 10,000 households, 50% above the U.S. rate of 5.8. Spending per center is $486K, 51% below the U.S. figure of $1M. At the U.S. ratio of child care centers and preschools to household spending, Franklin County would have about 5, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 792 households, against one for every 1,573 across the U.S. The official count fell 27.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +5.7% for the U.S.
How fast is Franklin County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Franklin County at 30,824 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,675 households. Median household income in Franklin County is $58,675, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.1%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Franklin County scores 30 for child care centers and preschools (lower middle), #1,339 of 1,611 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin County. It maps the child care centers and preschools on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for child care centers and preschools · All 56 business types in Franklin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Franklin County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.